“The Washington of the North”: How Ottawa became the Capital it is today, reflections on a lecture by Professor David Gordon - Spacing Ottawa Beginning by detailing famed landscape architect Fredric Law Olmsted s work in Canada who ultimately set up an office in Montreal the effect of the Parks Movement can be seen in both Montreal s Parc Mont Royal and the greening of America s Capital through a system of parks and rivers But by 1903 Fredrick Todd who had trained under Olmsted s son in Montreal was commissioned to complete a report for the Ottawa Improvement Commission looking at ways to shape Ottawa s urbanity in order to better reflect its role as a Capital city According to Dr Gordon at this time in Ottawa s history and under the leadership of Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier Ottawa was still a lumber town and frontier city without paved roads sidewalks or major infrastructure such as piped water With only the Parliament Buildings giving the city any sense of its place within Canadian politics Laurier proclaimed that he would help to make Ottawa as beautiful as possible stating that the city would become the Washington of the North However it was Todd who can be credited with ensuring that this was not what was manifested in Ottawa s urban growth due largely in part to his Parliamentary Report Todd had a more regional approach to urban planning and thought it was important to include both sides of the Ottawa River in any plans stating Ottawa is broken by steep terraces and picturesque cliffs in comparison to Washington s relatively flat terrain As well the gothic style of Parliament Hill s architecture had already started to set Canada s Capital apart from Washington Yet according to Dr Gordon it must still be seen as a very bold move for Todd to have spoken in opposition to Prime Minister Laurier s vision for Ottawa Todd also believed strongly that Ottawa s plan should be based on a series of connected parks paths and waterway access but was not successful in receiving the commission with only MacDonald Gardens Park being built But as time went on Ottawa remained a lumber town often destroyed in part by fires and leaving a young Mackenzie King unimpressed when he first arrived in the city by train Then from 1913 1915 The Federal Plan Commission for Ottawa and Hull was commissioned but resulted in only the War Memorial and new Centre Block building the original having burned down in 1915 being built Next Jacques Gréber would be brought in with Ottawa s urbanism later moving towards the expressways and suburbs which we are familiar with today before more recent developments such as DTAH s plan for Confederation Boulevard In closing Dr Gordon stated that he was regretful of the decision at the time to not follow through with Todd s plan for Ottawa believing that it is in fact Todd s work although not fully implemented that represents one of the most important parts of Ottawa s urban history and potential It was Todd who ensured that Canada did not

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A tale of two cities in one: How Ottawa struggles between municipal power and national pride - Spacing Ottawa only growing with Lansdowne Park now finally under construction LeBreton Flats Rockcliffe Park the intersection and underpass of Rideau Sussex and of course the infamous LRT topping the growing list And so it seems there are too many cooks in the kitchen or rather landowners at the boardroom table For it is this which often leads to stalemates and months wasted waiting for design committee reviews to happen before anyone can move forward This is not to say that committee reviews are not important or that we should act without due process simply that there needs to be a way to stream line the bureaucratic processes to make it a little easier for things to happen in a timely manner But what to do when one person owns the sidewalk another the air rights and you simply want your building to encroach just ever so slightly into their space In addition to these logistical constraints however there is also and more importantly the need for a urban identity which represents both the city s local community in Ottawa s case one that still often feels more like a town than an gleaming metropolis while still displaying the civic formality required for any Nation s Capital But I think this is where Ottawa succeeds feeling both grand enough to represent our great country but also comfortable enough to be embraced by locals alike Colonel By Drive is equally as wonderful for the cycling commuter as it is for latest dignitary arriving from the airport and Parliament Hill doubles as an outdoor yoga studio when protestors are busy elsewhere For these are some of the moments that blur the line between capital and community politics and the populace So what do you think of Ottawa as both a capital and municipal city

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Across the Ottawa Spaces - 23 September 2013 - Spacing Ottawa Darwin speculates on several possible fates for the Talent O Train consists once the new Alstom trains are in service and also discusses the new safety fencing proposed for the Hickory Street footbridge At Vanier Now Rachel Muston brings up the topic of bicycling as activism Urbsite tells the tale of how the Esplanade Laurier and Place Bell towers happened to join the Centretown cityscape and how they re linked to projects elsewhere in Ontario Over at the Ottawa Citizen David Reevely notes the accidental rediscovery of a cemetery on the site of what s currently the northern end of Elgin Street For more details check out this OttawaStart entry Also of interest Reevely further comments on the issues tied up in scheduling public consultations on just about any urban issue you d care to name Images of Centretown notes more casualties in the ongoing battle between the city s tree cover and the emerald ash borer Ottawa Past and Present focuses upon the former site of the Grand Union Hotel on Elgin Street There are three groups on Facebook recently brought to our attention that might be of interest to Ottawa area Spacing readers Lost Ottawa devoted to the photographic history of the city of Ottawa a group devoted to rescuing the World Exchange Plaza Cinema from what appears to be an immenent shutdown at this writing and Ottawa Type which addresses notable signage design across Ottawa Subscribe to Mag Share Post Tweet Post Buy Merch andise Related Posts UrbSanity Embracing Change Architecture Nature A talk by architect Raymond Moriyama LRT Trillium Line Extension enters Stage 2 Urbsanity Great Architects Great Stories Tweet More posts by Dwight Williams Search Advertisement Spacing Magazine fall 2015 Order issue Subscribe In these stores Popular Posts The history of the Ottawa subway UrbSanity

Image of the Moment: The bridge that almost is... - Spacing Ottawa Headlines History Housing Infrastructure Maps Media Neighbourhoods Parks Photos Politics Services Spacing Streetscape Traffic Transit Urban Design Walking Waterfront Region Topic Infrastructure Comments 0 Tweet Image of the Moment The bridge that almost is September 12 2014 By Spacing Image Airport Parkway Pedestrian Bridge Location Airport Parkway close to Hunt Club Date of photo September 10 2014 Photographer Kristen Gagnon As construction continues on the long over due and over budget but much needed pedestrian bridge the bridge now spans the full distance across the Aviation Parkway Subscribe to Mag Share Post Tweet Post Buy Merch andise Related Posts Image of the Moment Ottawa Farmers Market returns to Lansdowne Image of the Moment Ottawa s biodome s first winter Image of the Moment Suburban Sidewalks Image of the Moment Trillium line signage goes up Tweet More posts by Spacing Search Advertisement Spacing Magazine fall 2015 Order issue Subscribe In these stores Popular Posts The history of the Ottawa subway UrbSanity Streetside spots new tactics for public space Dreaming in colour The story behind Ottawa s world class transit map WALKSPACE We can do better than a self effacing bridge UrbSanity Brutal heritage From the Spacing Store 22 Buy yourself a

Image of the Moment: Ottawa's Sharrows - Spacing Ottawa Spacing Streetscape Traffic Transit Urban Design Walking Waterfront Region Topic Bikes Comments 0 Tweet Image of the Moment Ottawa s Sharrows July 28 2014 By Spacing Image Sharrows A city initiative to remind drivers to share the road with cyclists through the use of arrows Location Meadowlands Drive Ottawa Canada Date of photo July 18 2014 Photographer Kristen Gagnon According to the City The City of Ottawa is introducing sharrows on several of our busiest streets The purpose of a sharrow road markings showing a bicycle with two chevrons is to remind residents to share the road when driving or cycling in Ottawa Sharrow locations will include Lyon Street Arlington Avenue St Patrick Street and Wellington Street Subscribe to Mag Share Post Tweet Post Buy Merch andise Related Posts Image of the Moment Westboro s Complete Street Image of the Past Sussex and Wellington 1914 Tweet More posts by Spacing Search Advertisement Spacing Magazine fall 2015 Order issue Subscribe In these stores Popular Posts The history of the Ottawa subway UrbSanity Streetside spots new tactics for public space Dreaming in colour The story behind Ottawa s world class transit map WALKSPACE We can do better than a self effacing bridge

Image of the Moment: The Rideau River lets off a little steam - Spacing Ottawa Image of the Moment The Rideau River lets off a little steam January 6 2015 By Spacing Image The Rideau River lets off a little steam Location Rideau River Carleton University Ottawa Canada Date of photo January 5 2015 Temperature Feels like 25 Photographer Kristen Gagnon As most of Ottawa started the new year covered in a thick sheet of ice the steaming Rideau River flowed uninterrupted through the city Subscribe to Mag Share Post Tweet Post Buy Merch andise Related Posts Image of the Moment Trillium line signage goes up Image of the Moment Canada s longest skating rink Image of the Moment Suburban Sidewalks Image of the Moment Ottawa s biodome s first winter Tweet More posts by Spacing Neither the author nor Spacing necessarily agrees with posted comments Spacing reserves the right to edit or delete comments entirely See our Comment Policy Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published Required fields are marked Name Email Website Comment Search Advertisement Spacing Magazine fall 2015 Order issue Subscribe In these stores Popular Posts The history of the Ottawa subway UrbSanity Streetside spots new tactics for public space Dreaming in colour The story behind Ottawa

Image of the Moment: The Canadian Tulip Festival - Spacing Ottawa Tweet Image of the Moment The Canadian Tulip Festival May 12 2014 By Spacing Image 62 nd Canadian Tulip Festival Location Commissioner s Park Dow s Lake Ottawa Canada Date of photo May 10 2014 Photographer Kristen Gagnon Running from May 9 19th this annual festival preserves the heritage of Canada s role in liberating the Dutch during the Second World War through a stunning display of tulips in the Nation s Capital For more information on both the event and its history please visit here Subscribe to Mag Share Post Tweet Post Buy Merch andise Related Posts Architecture Nature A talk by architect Raymond Moriyama Neighbourhood Walk Walkin Down Main Finding Value in Heritage Architecture ERA Architects Ottawa Architecture Week 2015 The city is a house built by many hands Tweet More posts by Spacing 2 comments Neither the author nor Spacing necessarily agrees with posted comments Spacing reserves the right to edit or delete comments entirely See our Comment Policy cheap swimming pools 1 year ago After I initially commented I seem to have clicked the Notify me when new comments are added checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment Is there an easy method you can remove me from that service Appreciate it Kristen Gagnon 1 year ago Hello I think there should be an unsubscribe button at the bottom of the emails Could this be the case Our apologies for any inconvenience caused Please let me know kristengagnon spacing ca if there should be any further concerns Kristen Comments are closed Search Advertisement Spacing Magazine fall 2015 Order issue Subscribe In these stores Popular Posts The history of the Ottawa subway UrbSanity Streetside spots new tactics for public space Dreaming in colour The story behind Ottawa s